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<title>An Overview of Network Graphs</title>
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<div class="PageCaption">An Overview of Network Graphs</div>

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NodeXL is an Excel template that displays and analyzes <span class="Definition">network graphs</span>, or <span class="Definition">graphs</span> for short.  A network graph is a collection of points connected by lines.  The points are called <span class="Definition">vertices</span> or <span class="Definition">nodes</span>, and the lines are called <span class="Definition">edges</span>.  NodeXL always uses the term "vertex" rather than "node," contrary to its product name.
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<a name="Sample">Here is a simple network graph:</a>
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<img class="IndentedImage" src="../../Images/NetworkGraph.png" />

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Network graphs can be used to model a wide variety of real-world and theoretical systems, ranging from social organizations consisting of people connected by relationships, to cities connected by transportation routes, to atoms connected by chemical bonds.
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If you are new to network graphs, the Wikipedia article <a name="GraphTheory" target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graph_theory">Graph Theory</a> can serve as a good starting point for learning about them.
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